NEWS AND OPINION:
It is an old-fashioned, bodacious campaign blitz. Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz has multiple events in 26 Iowa cities and towns through week’s end at a critical time: the next official GOP debate in Des Moines is Thursday, the Iowa caucuses are just six days away. Mr. Cruz is embracing the blitz and has plenty muscle. Campaigning this week with the candidate: Rick Perry, Rep. Steven King and evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaatz — who have all endorsed the Cruz quest for the White House. The quartet will appear at seven rallies together on Tuesday alone, with stops at a bull ranch, a steak house and a 19th-century historic mansion.
“All across the country, conservatives are coalescing behind Ted, and just days from now, we have the chance to do something remarkable together. We can shock the political world with a victory for Ted in Iowa and begin the march to winning the Republican nomination and taking back the White House,” advise campaign organizers.
The Cruzin’ To Caucus tour spans a veritable road-trip of Iowa, with visits this week to Maquoketa, Manchester, Independence, Osceola, Albia, Centerville, Bloomfield, Ottumwa, Fairfield, Keosauque, Des Moines, Ringsted, Fenton, Emmetsburg, Wilton, Wapello, Hubbard, Ames, Hamlin, Ida Grove, Sioux City, Iowa City, Davenport, Des Moines, Jefferson and Marion.
BERNIE’S YEARNING AND SUSAN’S INQUIRY
Like Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, Sen. Bernard Sanders has accrued some celebrated names to help persuade voters that the 74-yeard-old socialist would make the best president. Currently on the trail in Iowa for Mr. Sanders: Ben & Jerry’s ice cream founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, who have left their home state of Vermont and appear at multiple events around the Hawkeye State. The pair were with Mr. Sanders during his very first campaign rally eight months ago on the shores of Lake Champlain, which concluded with a crowd sing-a-long of the old Woody Guthrie anthem “This Land is Your Land,” which the folksinger wrote as a people’s alternative to “God Bless America.”
Then there’s the ice cream side of things.
SEE ALSO: Ted Cruz increases campaign in Iowa to win away Donald Trump supporters
Mr. Cohen took it upon himself to create a limited edition ice cream flavor inspired by the candidate. Voila. It’s “Bernie’s Yearning,” a fairly simple concoction of mint ice cream topped by a big disc of chocolate. Mr. Cohen made just 40 pints of the flavor in his own kitchen, with the instructions “Open joyfully. Political revolution inside.”
Washington Times readers have shared a few of their own flavor name suggestions, including: “People’s Ice Cream Collective Flavor 127 and “Kookie Nut Cream.” And from the Conservative Review comes these: “Bernt End,” “Occupy your Arteries,” “Social Just Ice” and “Socialist Swirl.”
Meanwhile, there are a spate actors circulating in Iowa on behalf of Mr. Sanders: Susan Sarandon, Jonathan Sadowski, Brendan Hines and Justin Long are out in force among the grass-roots folk. Miss Sarandon, among other things, hosts a Women for Bernie Luncheon, and something called “WTF’s a Caucus?” — presumably a voter information session. Both are in Des Moines.
REPUBLICANS SUPPORT ‘13 HOURS’
President Obama and Hillary Clinton are never referenced in the new film “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.” But Republicans are still twice as likely as Democrats to have the new movie on their viewing list, says a new Rasmussen reports survey. The film chronicles the boots-on-the-ground details of the terrorist attacks on Benghazi in 2012 that resulted in the death of U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.
The numbers: 34 percent of Americans have either seen or plan to see the movie. “But a closer look at the latest findings show that while 45 percent of Republicans have seen or are likely to see the Benghazi movie, just 23 percent of Democrats say the same,” the pollster says. The survey of 1,000 U.S. adults was conducted Jan. 20-21.
SEE ALSO: State Dept. accused of political tampering in delay of Clinton emails
TRUMP SUMMARY
“I will make our military so big, powerful & strong that no one will mess with us.”
— Republican front-runner Donald Trump in a recent tweet.
RUBIO SUMMARY
“We have a president who is trying to make America more like the rest of the world. In essence, we have a president who is trying to make us more like the countries people come here to get away from.”
— Sen. Marco Rubio, also in a recent tweet.
SANTORUM SUMMARY
“I need to get this off my chest. I can’t stand the media. From the start of this campaign, they’ve decided that we’re not worthy of them. They think it’s their job to anoint who they think should be the Republican nominee. Seriously? The media determining the Republican nominee? Give me a break!”
— Republican hopeful Rick Santorum, in a Facebook post.
POLL DU JOUR
• 44 percent of Americans disapprove of U.S. presidents using executive orders; 77 percent of Republicans, 44 percent of independents and 13 percent of Democrats agree.
• 39 percent of Americans overall approve of presidents using executive orders; 13 percent of Republicans, 30 percent of independents and 64 percent of Democrats agree.
• 35 percent overall say “it depends” whether an executive order is constitutional; 38 percent of Republicans, 38 percent of independents and 27 percent of Democrats agree.
• 29 percent say an executive order is constitutional; 13 percent of Republicans, 21 percent of independents and 53 percent of Democrats agree.
• 21 percent say such an order is unconstitutional; 41 percent of Republicans, 18 percent of independents and 7 percent of Democrats agree.
• 16 percent overall are not sure; 7 percent of Republicans, 23 percent of independents and 13 percent of Democrats agree.
Source: An Economist/YouGov poll of 2,000 U.S. adults conducted Jan. 15-19.
• Logic and nonsense to jharper@washingtontimes.com.
